Apple’s Spotlight feature has been around for a long time, but with macOS Tahoe it’s enjoyed its biggest update in years. Here’s how to get the most out of its powerful new features.
Never more than a keyboard shortcut, Spotlight has long been a quick and easy way to open apps and find files. However, some Mac users choose to use more capable alternatives such as Alfred and Raycast.
But now with macOS Tahoe, Spotlight offers many of the same powerful user features as those apps without the need to install anything. And because it’s built into macOS, it’s completely free.
As a result, Spotlight has never been more capable than it is today, and here’s how to use its new features to get the most out of your Mac.
Quickly open apps and files
At its most basic level, Spotlight is a great way to quickly open apps and files. Your fingers never have to leave the keyboard.
Launching apps is easier than ever
Chemical cleaning Command + Space opens Spotlight with a flashing cursor, ready to type. Enter the name of the desired application before pressing Return open. You can also use the arrow keys to move up and down the list of results.
Alternatively, you can press Command + 1 or click the App Store icon to get started. You can then click on an app or click on one of the categories to go to more details – perfect for those of us who have a lot of apps installed. You can also use right arrow to move through the list of categories.
Apps installed on your iPhone will be listed below those installed on your Mac. Click on the app and it will open via iPhone mirroring.
Easily find and access your files with the updated Spotlight
Spotlight can also be used to open files. Spotlight indexes your Mac’s storage so it knows exactly which files are where. Enter a file name before pressing Return open.
Similar to apps, press Command+2 or click a file icon and Spotlight will display a list of suggested files as well as recently used ones. Click on a file to open it, while the arrow keys can be used to scroll through the file list.
Launch shortcuts and launch app features
With macOS Tahoe, Spotlight can dive into Mac apps to trigger specific actions and launch shortcuts.
Press Command + Space open Spotlight, then press
Available actions include sending a message to a contact, starting a timer, adding an event to your calendar, and more.
Using your Mac without ever touching the mouse just got easier
If speed is important, click Add hotkeys to assign a text shortcut for faster startup. “Stimer” could replace, for example, “Start a Timer”.
I recommend browsing through the available options, especially for your most used apps. Spotlight taps into App Intents, something that app developers have been building into their apps for the past few years.
Using App Intents, Spotlight (and before that Siri) can perform actions that would normally require users to open an app and tap some buttons. App Intents allow Spotlight to interact with these actions without opening the app itself, saving time and reducing clicks.
You might be surprised how much Spotlight can do with App Intents.
For example, try selecting the Send message action. Write the content of the message, press Tab and enter the name of the person you want to send the message to. Select their contact, press Returnand you are done. It also works for emails using the Mail app.
There are several advantages to using Spotlight this way. It’s faster than clicking through the Messages or Mail apps, for example, and you won’t be distracted by your inbox or new messages.
Access to clipboard history
Perhaps the biggest addition to Spotlight with the macOS Tahoe update is quick access to a searchable clipboard history. Text, files, and more are supported, and you can quickly copy items from your clipboard history, ready to paste elsewhere.
This is the first time Apple has offered a way to easily access clipboard history. It’s a feature that Mac users have long asked for, but instead had to rely on third-party apps to fill the void. This feature won’t replace a more advanced clipboard manager, but it’s a huge step in the right direction.
However, it’s important to note that Spotlight remembers everything you copy. This includes passwords, which administrators of dedicated mailboxes often ignore to ensure they remain private.
Press Command + Space open Spotlight and get started. Press Command+4 or click the icon with two pieces of paper to access the clipboard function.
Quick access to the clipboard can be very useful
Use the arrow keys to navigate through the clipboard history. You can press Command+C copy the item back to the clipboard, ready to paste into another application.
By default, Spotlight shows the last eight hours of items copied to your clipboard. This time frame can be changed in the Spotlight settings in the System Settings app. You will also find a button to clear the clipboard history.
Customize Spotlight
In the System Settings app, you can adjust how Spotlight works, allowing you to enable or disable specific features and customize others.
By enabling the “Show related content” option, you allow Spotlight to highlight content from its partners. This could mean, for example, displaying Google image search results or web information about a location. To prevent this content from being displayed, turn this feature off.
Click Reset hotkeys reset Spotlight hotkeys to their default settings. You can also reset your search history by clicking on Delete search history button.
Privacy-conscious people can also prevent Apple from using your data to improve Apple’s search features. Switch to Help Apple improve search option to the off position to do so.
Finally, Apple provides toggles to enable or disable content from apps in Spotlight. This includes app intents, Safari search results, and any other feature that uses the app to function. This is also the first place to check if an app’s features aren’t showing up in Spotlight as expected – turn the app on or off according to your preferences.
Similar toggles to control whether results from apps, files, folders, iPhone apps, and menu items are offered. Finally, Results from clipboard the switch allows or prevents Spotlight from finding and displaying content copied to your clipboard.